July 20, 2010

Judges 3

“Carpe Diem!” “Seize the Day!” Was Ehud simply a daring and courageous opportunist? Or, was he so enamored with the glory of God that he saw God in the opportunity? Perhaps it is something like this to which Jesus referred in Matthew 11:12. There are classically two ways to interpret Jesus’ statement. I am not quite sure which one is correct. The one that I tend to shy away from interprets it as Jesus saying, “The kingdom is pressing forward vigorously, and the vigorous seize it eagerly[1] Whether or not that is what Jesus meant in Matt 11, I am convinced that that was Ehud philosophy. He was more than a courageous opportunist. He was enamored with Who God is. As a result, he seized the day. As a vigorous man, he seized the Kingdom eagerly. Like Ehud, do I eagerly look for opportunities to advance the Kingdom of God? If I am honest with myself, I have to reply, “Not as often as I should.” But I find that when I have been gazing at the glory of God, the opportunities present themselves more frequently and I am more eager to seize them. His glory compels me! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john



Acts 22

One would think that the best way to validate one's message would be through miracles. The Lord Jesus had done many of them through Paul. Remember at Ephesus, even the handkerchiefs and aprons that came from Paul, brought healing to the sick, diseased and demon possessed. Why couldn't Paul have performed some miracles in Jerusalem to validate his message? One reason is that the rulers of Jerusalem had seen the miracles of Jesus and the apostles. They still didn't believe. A second reason is that the greatest miracle of all is a changed life not a healed body. Jesus gains more glory from our changed lives than from our healed bodies. I've met people who have testified of God's healing power upon their bodies, but then they turn their backs to Him when it comes to living the life. The greatest miracle of all is a changed life. Paul speaks the greatest glory he knows to the crowd, his changed life. They listened until he began to include the Gentiles. Some people will just never believe. Unbelief does not change the glory of Christ. Unbelief only diminishes the unbeliever's ability to see the glory. I use the word unbeliever broadly here to include even those who are born again. Sometimes we need help from others to believe. We need them to speak to us of His glory in their life. Sometimes they need us to speak to them of His glory in our life. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John



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[1] New Geneva Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995, S. Mt 11:23